A month and a day?

Has it really been that long since I've last posted?  WOW!!!  And haven't even posted December goals either.  Slacker.

Kinda feels like a good word for how the entire month of November went actually.....not for lack of wanting on my part.....but just a bunch of crap that came up, and de-railed my best laid plans.

Add that since getting back from Dallas for Thanksgiving, that I have yet another respiratory issue (thank you stupid Texas weather and its constant back and forth changing constantly bull$h*t) and if I so much as walk around too much too fast/get the slightest bit too warm.....I go in to a coughing fit.  Yeah......not exactly conducive to going to the gym, lifting weights till Im dripping with sweat, and running three times a week to prep for the two 5Ks I have coming up in Feb and March of 2013 (and plans to schedule more next year too).

HOWEVER...anyone that knows me well enough, knows, this will NOT keep me down long. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, and (fingers crossed) will be back in the gym come Monday.  And hoping that the cold front headed this way KEEPS IT COLD in Houston thru the winter for crying out loud.  Need this endless back and forth between 83 degrees one day and 55 degrees two days later crap to stop.  Tired of not being able to breathe without a coughing fit. 

So...what are my goals for December?  Im gonna make it short and sweet...to maintain the weight I am at right now, choose as sensibly as I possibly can for meals on a daily basis, and make it thru the holidays healthy and getting back on track...on top of all that the holidays bring to the table for stress and craziness.

Such as hosting the Salinas family shindig for Christmas this year at our house.......the entire army descending on my house on Sunday the 23rd for food, family, gifts, football and good times.  Lots of prep and work go in to it, but its so worth it as we have a great time.....and would be easy to just throw my hands up and say whatever...I will just be lax till the new year...but I'm not going to.  Need to retain some semblance of reason and good sense here and maintain maintain maintain at the very least.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas with family, friends and good times, and a safe and Happy New Year.  Not that Im blowing off the blog for sure between now and then, just wanted to throw it out there now before the month gets away from me and its suddenly January!!!  HA!!!!!  :)

Time for some new goals...Hello November :)

November……man this year truly is FLYING on by, isn't it?  How the heck is it already November 5^th?  Half the problem, in Houston anyway, is that it is still WAY too friggin HOT to even realize it is November!!! Sheesh!!!  Had a few cooler days, one cold weekend, and yet we keep going back to 85-90 degree days, way too humid and icky.  Bring on the FALL to stay please!! This Cali girl can’t take much more!!  LOL!!!  J

Anyway, so looking back on October…was a quiet month for me here on the blog, sorry about that.  Was a crazy month for sure, and a month that did NOT turn out the way I had planned in my mind…which was to kick ass in the gym, follow my eating plan of attack to the letter, etc etc.  I ended up with a sinus infection that left me feeling like I got hit by a semi for about 10-12 days, out from work for a week minus a Wednesday in the middle of it all, then a week later just when I thought I was feeling pretty good…I go to the grocery store last Sunday morning with the hubs and the kiddo, and as Im unloading the cart to check out, WHAM…I throw my back out and end up in pain for over a week (still recovering completely from that 8 days later)  Turns out it pinched weird and locked up my entire pelvis (according to the chiro 2 days after it happened) and ended up resonating up into my upper back, shoulders, even into my neck.  Which he managed to work his magic on per usual….I could not imagine life without my awesome chiro…keeps me mobile at times, let me tell you what!!!  J

So, that said…..how did I do last month?  Again, not how I had planned…the week I was sick…I lived off chicken soup, saltines and powerade…not the ideal diet.  HOWEVER I lost 5 lbs that week, and have kept 3 of that 5 off since.  Was the only weight loss I had last month……

No difference in measurements really……like a ¼ inch here or there, but nothing to write home about.  However, given that I had way less time in the gym this month on average, I will take what I got.

Speaking of the gym……I still managed to kick ass on the days I did get there….and ended up in second place overall for females with 667,640 lbs lifted over the month.  Only person that beat me was my workout partner Elaine!!  YAY E!!!!!  Ended up in 8^th in the entire gym (males and females combined) so considering I missed like 10-12 days of training…..I ain't gonna cry over that.  J

Onward to this month's goals…here's what I've decided on….as Ive pondered where I am, how I feel, and where I want to go from here.

This month, the only person I am going to "compete with" so to speak…is ME.  I know Elaine and I have had a "friendly rivalry" going the last couple months…but where has it gotten us?  She got sick in Sept with bronchitis/waling pneumonia, and I end up with a sinus infection and a messed up back in October.  Not ideal.  Now anyone that knows me well enough, knows how SUPER SUPER COMPETITIVE I am, you throw down the gauntlet to me…It is ON by god, and I WILL do what it takes to win.  Well, that got me real far this month..sick one week and twisted up hunched over like a little old lady a week and a half later.  Not conducive to overall long term goals.  I talked to a good friend recently for some time on the phone who knows me well, and we were saying how its engrained in our DNA it seems to be overly competitive with stuff in general, and how over the last few years, he's had to work really really hard on not being that way to the extreme degree, and how its mellowed him out, though not an easy thing to "ignore".

I am going to make this a long term goal of mine…..to not be so competitive with others on stuff…and just compete with myself.  Worry about me, like I tell my son all the time, not about the other person next to you. For him it's to keep him out of trouble in school etc…for me it's going to keep me healthy I hope, not busted up with a jacked up back or knee or sick with something cause I pushed myself way too hard in the name of WINNING and being FIRST.  Going to find a better balance of working out, eating right, and getting enough rest/sleep/down time for recovery. Force myself to actually have true, honest to god rest days from the gym scheduled each week and REST!!!  Hard to say out loud when I feel like that's all ive done this month with being sick and laid up with a bad back…but perhaps scheduling those days will avoid the sick and broken days down the road!!!  J

So goals:

Compete with me and me alone – strive to be a better me by the end of the month and focus on improving for the sake of improving, not to be on the top of the list

Continute the Kelsey Byers Fitness Challenge thru Dec 24^th

Take my vitamins daily

Cut out all but water for daily drinks, other than my almond milk in my daily protein shakes

Minimum of a gallon of water intake per day

Focus again on food prep on Sundays for the week ahead 

Stick to ONE "treat meal" on Saturdays every week.  Eat clean the rest of the week

Apple cider regimen daily – fell off the wagon on this in October…back to it!!!

Listen to my body more on when to eat (as far as time)…rather than looking at the clock and saying oh look, it's 11:00, time for lunch break.

Weight training minimum 4 days a week

Cardio training minimum 5 days a week

TOTAL REST DAY from the gym on SUNDAY

There you have it.  My plan of attack for the coming month.  And yes, I will indulge a bit on Thanksgiving day and eat, however I don’t plan on over stuffing myself in just one meal.  Will go for a walk after we eat, as well as the other days we are out of town for the holiday, get in some sort of activity.

Better balance ahead this coming month!!!!  Everyone make your goals for the month and stay focused thru the holidays.  Balance is key, and allows for some little indulgences along the way.

Happy November!!!  J

Get after it

Every day......even small progress IS PROGRESS!! Put in the time, to get the results you want!!

BRING ON OCTOBER!!!

I've SO got this!! Gonna attack it full force just like September, only better!!! :)

A New Month...New Goals - and looking back on September

Last day of September...cannot believe it's October first tomorrow.  Starting too cool off some here in Houston (THANK GOD!!!) and its slowly beginning to feel like fall.  Change of seasons, change of another month, means time for some new goals..but first, a look back at September, cause I will be honest...IM DAMNED PROUD OF MYSELF and how much Ive improved this last month!!!!

Dropped a total of 4 lbs this month.  Doesn't sound impressive in and of itself, I'm sure you are thinking. However, that's 14 since the end of July....and here are the more impressive stats for just this past month...I've lost:

2 inches in my waist
3 inches in my stomach
3 inches off my hips
2 inches off my ba-donk-a-donk
2 inches off my chest
1.5 inches off each thigh
half an inch off each calf
and an inch off each upper arm
Down another size in jeans

BAM!!!!!!  Take that fat!!!!  Converting to lean mean muscle.....which means burning fat more efficiently around the clock, even when I'm not in the gym.  I will take inches lost ANY DAY over pounds lost.....your weight on the scale is just a number in relation to gravity and the ground...does not tell you how much is fat, how much is muscle etc.

And on the subject of the lean mean muscle.....have I lifted some iron in the gym this month or what?  Check this out compared to last month:

522,283 lbs lifted (last month was 109,930)
2nd place female over all at Pearland Y for weight lifted (last month was 20th)
1st place overall (male/female) at Pearland Y for my age group - 40-49 (last month was 15th overall, 5th in just females)
9th over all (regardless of age, both male/female) in weight lifted (last month was 84th)

YEAH BABY!!!! That's what Im talking about!! No lifting sissy 5 lb pink dumbbells and calling it weight training for this girl...Im lifting some serious weights, and getting serious results.  Anyone that thinks that lifting heavy for women will turn you in to an overly muscled freak could not be more wrong. Lifting heavy, doing squats etc will give you those sexy lean curves...rather than endless cardio creating an emaciated, skin and bones look. No thanks...will keep my curves thank you very much and chisle them, make them HOT!!! :)

So, goals for October:

Kelsey Byers Fitness Challenge - 12 week fitness/nutrition challenge...going to take me right up to Christmas with this one....keeping me honest and focused on eating clean, lifting hard, putting in the necessary cardio time.
Take vitamins daily - i'm good for a few days in a row, forget a day, and weekends I often forget...
Fish for dinner Fridays
Meatless dinner Mondays
Cut out anything other than water for drinking daily.  Was still doing lemonade here and there occasionally.....its gone now.  Perhaps with my treat meal on the weekend, but very rarely.
Minimum of a gallon of water a day
Eat small meals spread across the day...eat every 3-4 hours max
Continue to plan and prep ahead on Sundays for the coming week.  Makes a HUGE difference, and takes out the excuses for grabbing crap instead of healthy food in a hurry
Continue trying new items and recipes each week. This week its PB2 (powdered peanut butter which is AWESOME) and Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar regimen daily (started today...tastes like ass, but if I hold my nose and choke it down, I will live thru it...LOL!!)......
And here's the biggie.....striving to lift 800,000 lbs in the gym next month. Should be totally doable, seeing as how I multiplied my August number by 5...I should dang well be able to not quite double October's number.  However Im adding in some new stuff, and hitting the free weight room more rather than all machines....requires more self control in the movements, may have to drop weight a bit till im comfy with it all.

Whew!!! Another great list of goals for October.......will be a third of the way thru this fitness challenge come Halloween.....oh WOW, how did I forget this one too??  I vow NOT to eat even ONE PIECE of candy this month, nada, nothing...period.

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!!!  This year is flying right on by...heck its gonna be christmas before we know it.  Use the time wisely to make changes in your life...the time is going to pass regardless, why not make some positive, healthy changes while it does?  Clean up your diet, get up off your butt and move/sweat!!!  And with that...I'm out....going to the gym!!!!  :)

Standings

So the gym I go to (YMCA) has a system called fitlinxx connected to every weight machine and piece of cardio equipment. You come in, enter your code into the main kiosk before you workout...then every machine you get on you enter your code and it tracks your reps, weight lifted, has your machine info saved like seat settings, your range of motion so you can't cheat on reps...and tracks time spent and calories burned on cardio equipment.

My friend Elaine threw down the gauntlet to me at the beginning of Sept to see who would lift the most weight this month. Challenge accepted! The racegirl blood/competitive spirit in me comes out real quick with a challenge!! :)

Anyway, in just two weeks, I've lifted more than DOUBLE the weight I lifted in the entire month of August (109,000 lbs last month.....222,000 already this
month) doubled my cardio time and my "fit points" for the month!! Talk about bringing it!!! Just the incentive I needed apparently to focus even harder and ramp up the intensity.

And it's paying off....I've lost 2 more lbs....dropped a size in my jeans (which I kept having to hitch up on Friday as even those are already too loose in the waist)...and I can't wait to take my measurements at the end of the month all over to see what I've lost in that respect....which means more to me than the number on the scale since im
lifting heavy to gain lean muscle which in turn burns more fat, even at rest). I've felt stronger in my cardio intervals, I'm running much faster during the intense portions of my intervals (had the treadmill on 5.6 for my hill run portions yesterday for workout #2 in the afternoon.....never ran that fast back when all I was doing was distance running...i was lucky to hit 5.0 comfortably, 5.2 used to about kill me and my knees) so apparently I'm doing something right!!!! Increasing my weight I'm lifting pretty much every session, on almost every machine (went from
leg pressing 170 last month to 220 just yesterday) and doing intervals not just steady state boring cardio....and truly focusing on what I'm doing...not chatting on the treadmill, digging deep and making it all count....pushing hard thru my reps on weights...moving quickly from each weight machine and keeping my heart rate up.....hell I'm sweating hard just in the weight routine before I even set foot on the cardio equipment.

Loving the results of all this hard work. Planning ahead as far as meals go and working the workouts into my hectic schedule wherever they fit...makes getting up at 3:50 AM on weekdays, and hitting the gym first thing at 7 AM on Saturdays, again in the afternoons sometimes...all of it is worth it.....you make the time, put in the effort, make it a priority, and you get paid back in awesome results.

September is ROCKIN so far!! Gonna keep the momentum going....and rework my goals at the end of September for October.....and crush that month too!!!! Bring it on!! :)

Staying strong.....

So, first week of September almost done......holiday weekend this past weekend, was NOT good on the eating plan, but this week has been AWESOME work out wise so far.  Staying with it, putting in my time and apparently it's paying off.  Have peeps noticing my effors, and that's always a positive boost to keep on keeping on ya know?  Must be doing something right hearing that, and that my clothes are looser this week etc.  Not seeing that reflected in pounds lost on the scale this week as of yet, but willing to bet that i'm down some more in inches, and that counts too.

So far for the month (which is really only 1 session Monday, lunchtime yesterday (which was only cardio), and today's two workouts)...i've already lifted a total of 27,225 pounds as far as weight training goes..and Im 8th overall for females regardless of age bracket at the Y I go to near my house.  last month I lifted a total of 109.930.....so in just two sessions this week, Im already more than 1/4 of the way to the total I lifted all of last month.  TOLD YA I've been increasing my weights each time and how often I'm weight training!!  And I credit that to my clothes being looser etc...converting fat to muscle...lean muscle in turn burns more fat.  Putting in my time for cardio as well, which then gets easier as I get stronger, so I have to up the ante on the cardio as well and keep changing it up, doing different intervals and switching up what machines I do for cardio......keep the body guessing constantly.  Make it work hard, never let it figure out the "routine" cause that's when plateaus happen which can be incredibly frustrating.  Not saying I won't hit any, but doing my best to minimize those.

Bring on the rest of September!!  Im ready and anxious to keep kicking butt and see where I am come October!!!